Characters

I have been told that I write characters very well.  (At the cost of other things, no doubt.)

Hmm, that is incredibly depressing, I cannot find the original post for this.  Someone asked me a question about writing good characters and I feel that I answered it really well on my tumblr, but now I cannot find the post.  That is incredibly depressing.  Alas, oh well.  I'll try and recreate it as best as I can.

Heh, if I hadn't told you any of that, you wouldn't have even known.  Regardless.  Moving on.

Anyway, one of the reasons I feel that I write characters so well, is that I pay attention to real people (including myself.)  And then I put what I've learned into my characters.  And I bet I'm not the only author who will tell you that.

I watch people, everyone from my sister, to my best friend, to my ex boyfriend, to my roommate, my coworker, my boss, that person I just can't stand, etc, etc, etc.  It helps me see how real people react to things.  I can then translate that onto the page when I'm writing characters.

By using just myself as an example, I know how to write everything from sprains and migraines, to heartache and anger at someone close to you.  I put myself into every major character I write (and some minor ones as well.)  It puts life into them and they are believable.

Believable characters can drive a story.  I've heard that even a story with a compelling plot and well-described setting will fall flat if the characters are not believable.  Similarly, a setting can be less-thought-out and the plot can be a retelling of an old trope, but the story will do better if it has realistic and compelling characters.

So, long story short: watch and listen to your surroundings.  You will learn something.